Five Words
by AgentArchaicAlaska
Summary: Five words started the craziest ride of Philip's life. Just when he was adjusting to living with the irritating virus in his head while dodging Infected Shelter faculty, five words threw him a curveball that he wasn't even close to being prepared for. Five words gave Clarence a body.
1. A Scientific Impossibility

Five words. Five words, spoken at exactly the right moment, was all it took to turn Philip's world upside down… again. Although, after the xenoscience, the sheer expanse of this facility, and God knows what that corrupted file on "Other Research Sites" said… Honestly, Philip needed to stop being surprised by the scientific "impossibilities" achieved by the Archaic Caste and its Shelter Facility. Although, other research sites… Jesus... how many more of those could there be? Where were they? What were they researching. If the topics were even a quarter as dangerous as the Tuurngait, they needed to be shut down…

Regardless, between hallucinations of dogs, spiders, and Infected hostiles, cutting his vision in a potentially dangerous location, teleporting him, turning him around, and- oh. Let's not forget that bullshit with "Amabel," Clarence had been screwing with his mind for days on end and Philip was done with it. The virus was tap-dancing on his last nerve and he knew it. It was as if he wanted to see how far he could push Philip before the 30-year-old broke down screaming at nothing.

"God damn it, Clarence!" Philip hissed, trying to keep his voice down. They hadn't encountered any Infected in this area, but he certainly wasn't up for a surprise round of laps. He heard the virus cackle at his irritation, causing the physicist to see red and raise his voice.

"Dammit!" he shouted, turning towards the nearby cryo chamber. The occupant was unable to be seen clearly through the frosted glass, but Philip could at least discern that he looked relatively young. Perhaps near his own age. He felt a slight stirring at the concept of actually interacting with another human.

"Well, well, Monkey," Clarence noted, his tone amused, "You seem unusually interested in this… individual. Increased levels of dopamine, rising testosterone and oxytocin-"

That was all it took.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Philip screamed, finally reaching the end of his patience. He slammed his hand violently against the nearby wall.

It was like out of a movie. Such was Philip's luck that his hand fell down on a somewhat malfunctioning button. Likely the one to open the cryo chamber. The arcing blue electricity pulsed through his palm, coursing through his entire body. After the electrical pulse passed through his heart and followed the Vagus Nerves to his brain, the world swiftly went dark. 

* * *

Blacking out was not something Clarence was used to. Even when the monkey slept, he was aware of their surroundings. Apparently, being electrocuted even affects an alien consciousness.

He was on the floor when he regained awareness. It was quiet and he had control, although he was still figuring out how to operate his dreadfully stiff limbs. Surely they couldn't have been out for that long! Regardless, he would normally assume that the monkey hadn't woken up yet. This felt… different, though. There were no memories for him to sift through. It was as if Philip was…

…no.

Not the monkey. Not _his_ monkey! He couldn't be…

Finally regaining full mobility in his limbs, he rolled onto his hands and knees, coughing for air. His minor paralysis must have only lasted a brief time if he hadn't felt the need to breathe until just now. A minute or two at most. He felt hair fall away from his neck and frame the sides of his face.

…Wait…

Philip's hair was short and honey blonde. (He knew this from the sheer number of times Philip had stopped to check his appearance in the bathrooms' mirrors). The locks that currently fell just past the tops of his shoulders were silky, and a dark brown, almost black shade.

Then he saw Philip next to him. He was still, unmoving, and that sent an unparalleled rush of fear through Clarence. He scrambled to him, taking his former host into his still-ice-cold arms and shaking him desperately.

"Monkey! Wake up!" his tone quickly became pleading, "Please wake up…"

From the beginning, he couldn't wait for the monkey to get himself killed. To release them both. He never thought he'd see the day where he cried over the monkey, begging him to survive… yet here he is.

A voice at the back of his mind prodded at these memories, taunting him, _'This was what you wanted. Your own body. The monkey dead. You_ wanted _this from the moment you infected him.'_

Clarence bowed his head and whispered, tone filled with fury and guilt, "Not like this… _never_ like this…" Tears were gathering in the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill as one last whispered plea fell from his lips…

"Please… I can't do this without you, Philip…" 

* * *

Philip awoke with a sharp gasp, only vaguely aware that he was being held. While the stranger's arms were ice cold, his torso was warm and inviting. Philip couldn't help but nuzzle closer to the warmth, craving more of the human contact he'd been denied for what felt like years, but had, in fact, only been days.

"M-Monkey?" the person whispered, voice trembling in what sounded like fear. Philip froze as his mind processed just what the stranger had called him. ' _Monkey'_ … only one… _entity_ called him that. Come to think of it, the irritation that had invaded his mind had been surprisingly quiet since he woke up. What on Earth…? The stranger's ("Clarence" his mind attempted to supply) voice was shaking as he held Philip tighter still and whispered comfortingly to him, relieved and prayer-like.

"You're alive," Clarence continued on, "Alive, alive, alive. Thank God, you're okay… Oh, my monkey. My Philip."

Philip felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment at the possessive tone of the virus that had, until recently, taken up residence inside his head. The physicist's thoughts raced, questioning everything about this situation. Why was Clarence holding him? Why was Clarence _human_? Was the virus actually _concerned_ about him? In short, what the fuck was going on?

He'd be lying if he said he didn't find the embrace comfortable. Still, he tried to slip out of it, only to be stopped by a low growl from Clarence, and a tightening of the arms around him. One of Clarence's hands slid up to tangle in Philip's hair, guiding him to look up and meet his eyes.

What Philip saw nearly made his jaw drop. The nearly black locks, partially occluding one mauve-colored iris, the empty cryo chamber nearby… Clarence must have been transferred into the body. Well, Philip's estimation was correct. He appeared about 30 years old. He had a five-o'clock shadow that, admittedly, suited him well. But nothing caught Philip's attention more completely than the active tear tracks on his cheeks.

Clarence was _crying_ … and over _him._


	2. A Trademark Personality

Philip froze, royal blue eyes still locked with the mauve-colored irises that now belonged to Clarence. Clarence… what a mess this was… the virus that Philip once held in his mind now held _him_ in his arms. Time slowed to a crawl as he allowed Clarence to check him over in a desperate attempt to reassure the virus-turned-man that the young physicist was still in perfect health (albeit extremely hungry and tired. What he wouldn't give for a cheese sandwich and a nap right about now).

As if the situation couldn't get weirder, Philip finally snapped out of his trance when Clarence ran his fingers through the other man's shaggy, dirty blonde hair. This was strange, and yet… Philip also found himself not minding the contact. It had been so long since he had any human contact and… well, Clarence was _warm._ The embrace was so inviting that he could just… fall asleep.

Philip could feel himself slip into a light sleep, comforted by the warmth of the body cradling him as well as the soft rumble reverberating through Clarence's chest. He could feel the fingers catch on a tangle that had formed. Philip hadn't realized that neither man had spoken in quite some time (and lord knows how much time had passed).

* * *

Clarence felt… detached… dissociated. He was somewhat aware that this behavior was, well, _unusual_ to say the least. He was aware of the passage of time. He knew they should probably leave before one of his _brothers_ inevitably found them… but the thought of letting Philip go sent a surge of unexplained anxiety through him.

Clarence needed Philip. He needed to make sure Philip was safe, unharmed. As his hands tangled in his monkey's hair, (funny how that name, intended as an insult, became something close to a term of affection) Clarence noticed that the man in his arms had fallen asleep.

Spending another several minutes fretting ultimately reassured him that his host was safe and healthy, and Clarence could feel the dissociation lessen. As a consequence, he became more aware of the lack of security their current location provided. He gently shook Philip awake, "Hey… monkey. We need to go."

* * *

Philip stirred, reaching up to rub at his tired eyes before they fell on Clarence once more, reflecting his confusion. The virus huffed slightly, his trademark personality quickly reemerging, beating back whatever protective instinct had crept its way into his mind. Discovery becoming more likely by the minute caused fear to tint his voice. While Clarence would never admit to whining, there was no better way to describe the tone of his voice when he jostled Philip once more, "Come _oooon,_ Monkey! It's not _safe_ here! We have to _go_. They're coming!"

The last statement instantly snapped Philip out of whatever stupor he was in. The man scrambled out of Clarence's arms, embarrassment making itself known as a blush crept up the back of his neck. What in the _hell_ was wrong with him? Was Philip so starved for affection that he would accept any form of comfort offered to him? If that was the case, well, he'd just have to keep a closer eye on himself.

Regardless, he held out his hand to help Clarence up, all the while muttering (whether he meant to include Clarence in the conversation, he wasn't quite sure), "Alright… so we need to find somewhere safe where we can bunker down..."

Oblivious to the fact that he had started to wander, Philip soon found himself in front of the map, still thinking out loud. His finger traced the hallways from their location to the next securable area.

A voice just over his shoulder nearly caused Philip to jump out of his skin. He felt the soft puff of breath against his neck send chills down his spine as the ex-parasite spoke, "Absolutely not, monkey. Can't take that hallway. Patrols are too heavy."

Philip spun to Clarence, hoping his mixed expression of concern and intrigue could successfully hide the flustered one he tried to bury, "Can you still tell where they are? Can you hear them now?"

When Clarence hesitated, Philip was unable to determine if he was plotting his answer or trying to listen for his "brothers." The virus eventually shook his head, a look of regret- no _relief_ on his face, "No. I can't hear them. I can sense where they are, but…"

Philip caught him as he trailed off, snipping at him in hope that it would cue the man to finish his statement, "But what?"

Clarence shifted from one foot to the other, wringing his hands with clear anxiety, "It's… fading. It takes more focus now to do something that was so simple an _infant_ could do it…"

Philip sighed heavily, annoyance masking his concern for the man by turning back to the map, "Okay. So, what do _you_ suggest is the best route?"

Shoving the physicist aside, Clarence narrowed his gaze at the map. After a few moments of scrutinizing the floor plan, he closed his eyes as if listening. Seconds passed before mauve eyes snapped open once again with a smirk, "Got it."

Philip skittered to his side, immediately inquiring into where they needed to go. Rather than explaining, Clarence traced his finger along a slightly lengthier path, "But there are no patrols in this area." He quickly clarified, "The only place where we'd have to be careful is coming around the back side going into the room."

Clarence jumped slightly when the physicist's hand clamped down on his shoulder. His eyes flickered up to see Philip nod approvingly before shouldering his pack and gesturing toward the exit, "Well, then… let's go.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **It's Easter, April 1, 2018 and this ship has risen!**

 **i.e. I'M NOT DEAD, THIS STORY ISN'T DEAD. This chapter has just given me so much hell in the last 10 months. I hope it's not too horrible!**


End file.
